


what came before won't count anymore

by nevermindthewind



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 20:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12239763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevermindthewind/pseuds/nevermindthewind
Summary: There was one major difference between this and the other few house parties he’d attended.And that one difference was sitting next to him on the bed.(Or, five times Wes and Laurel didn't get caught together, and one time they did.)





	what came before won't count anymore

**Author's Note:**

> 1) This is based on a request from ice326, hope you like it!!  
> 2) Title is a line from Only Us from Dear Evan Hansen, a Waurel song if I've ever heard one  
> 3) I've never done a 5x1 before, so hopefully I followed the formatting correctly lol  
> 4) WES GIBBINS DESERVED BETTER

Asher had invited everyone over to celebrate their most recent win. It was a draining trial, and they all desperately needed a break. Wes had imagined it’d be a small thing, the five of them finally relaxing after a hectic trial.  

 

He should’ve known better.

 

Within minutes of their arrival, fifty freshman descended on the dorm room, bringing with them handles of vodka so cheap the smell alone practically knocked Wes off his feet. Apparently this little shindig was for the whole floor.

 

He’d never been one for parties; he found that out during his undergrad.  For one thing, you needed friends if you wanted to get invited to anything, and friends were hard to come by at a community college that was full of commuters.  By the time he transferred, he’d lost interest in the whole house party concept.  So to say this wasn’t his scene was a bit of an understatement. However there was one major difference between this and the other few house parties he’d attended.

 

And that one difference was currently sitting next to him on the bed, running her fingers up and down his arm and causing goosebumps to appear all along the trail she had created.

 

“What was that you said about not wanting people to know about us?” he whispered playfully into her ear.

 

“Considering that Michaela has Asher pinned up against a wall and Connor’s been glued to his phone all night, I think we’re safe,” Laurel murmured back, pressing her mouth against his bicep. She began to replace her trail with soft kisses, following the path her fingers had made moments before.

 

Wes inhaled sharply as her breath hit his arm, sending shocks throughout his entire body.

 

“Laurel…” he started. Even though he was trying to keep himself together, he couldn’t help the smile that began to creep onto his face after her tantalizing attempts to distract him. 

 

She giggled, looking up at him with a devilish grin. 

 

“What?” she asked, biting her lower lip.  

 

He tossed his head back and let out a laugh. He began to feel a desire, a warmth that had nothing to do with the amount of alcohol currently in his system.

 

“Wanna get out of here?” asked Wes. He looked around before taking Laurel’s hand into his. “Go somewhere that doesn’t reek of UV?”

 

“I hear there’s a lounge at the end of the hall,” she replied quickly, squeezing his hand as she stands and practically drags him out of the crowded room. Again he laughed; patience never had been Laurel’s strong suit.

 

As they made their way down the hall, they stumbled right past Asher and Michaela, who were either far too drunk or far too into each other to notice the way their hands interlocked, or how Wes had been stroking her hand with his thumb.  How in love he is with her.

 

And thirty minutes later no one said a thing when the two of them made their way back into the dorm with crumpled clothes and flushed cheeks.

 

\--

 

It was the slowest Friday in Keating history.

 

Bonnie and Annalise had been holed up in the office for hours, and while all of them wanted to ask to leave early, none of them had the guts to actually ask.  Things had been finally calming down, and no one wanted to disrupt whatever peace they had found.  

 

However this didn’t change the fact that they were bored out of their minds. 

 

Wes had checked his watch at least five times in the last fifteen minutes, each time utterly shocked only a couple minutes had passed since he’d last checked; he and Laurel had taken to watching Golden Girls on her laptop an hour ago.  Connor was on his phone, swiping through his latest crop of Humpr prospects while Asher bounced a rubber band ball against the wall.

 

“What are the odds you’ll leave right now without telling AK?” Asher asked Michaela, the only one of them who’d kept trying to work on the “case” they’d been assigned.

 

“Nice try,” she replied, not looking up from her book. “But I’m not looking to get eaten alive, thank you very much.”

 

“You’re not?” he said as he got up and swiftly sat down next to her. “Because that’s not what you were saying last night,” he fake whispered into her ear.

 

“Oh please,” Michaela retorted.

 

“He’s right,” said Connor, not looking up from his phone. Michaela gasped.

 

“Dude!” exclaimed Asher.

 

Connor just shrugged. “Your walls are thin.”

 

Across the room on the couch, Laurel and Wes were seated next to each other, Laurel’s laptop situated between them. They were just close enough that their thighs touched, just close enough to feel each other’s presence. It was all Laurel could do not to take his hand and rest her head on his shoulder.

 

Suddenly Laurel felt her phone buzz.  She pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was from Wes. 

 

_ That’s not what you were saying either. _

 

It was all she could do to stifle her laughter. She looked up to see him looking right at her, smiling as he waited for her reaction.  

 

“You’re the worst,” she whispered, squinting her eyes in mock frustration.

 

“Nah, I’m the best,” he replied, grinning down at her.

 

“Oh really?”

 

“Most definitely,” Wes nodded, furrowing his eyebrows in an attempt to look serious. 

 

All of a sudden an idea popped into Laurel’s head.

 

“Then prove it,” she challenged, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean…” she started, looking around the room to make sure the others weren’t paying close attention.  “I mean, meet me down in the basement in five minutes.”

 

She removed the laptop from their laps and as she stood up she murmured,

 

“Prove to me that you’re the best.”

 

And with that she made her way across the room, biting her thumbnail as she does so, an old habit she’s never been able to kick.  She turned to open the basement door and looked up to see Wes still watching her, laughing to himself and shaking his head.

 

“Come on,” she whispered, waving him over as she heads down the stairs.

 

That’s all it takes for him to get up and discreetly make his way across the room, taking her hand as he follows her down the stairs.

 

\--

 

He barged into her apartment, with a very un-Wes amount of energy.

 

“You’ll never believe this,” he said as he took off his coat, his own disbelief laced in his voice.

 

“Believe what?” she asked, scooting over and moving papers off the couch to make room for him. She hadn’t even batted an eye when he walked in; they’d stopped knocking for each other months ago.

 

He sat down and planted a kiss on her cheek before showing her the paper he was holding.

 

“The midterm. I got a 94 percent,” he exclaimed, his grin exposing his dimples.

 

“Wes!” Laurel cried, taking the paper from him and looking it over. “That’s amazing.”

 

He looked down and scratched the back of his neck, not used to receiving compliments. He’d never been good at exams, but between Laurel helping him and actually having time to study and review over the past six months his grades had been steadily improving. 

 

“Thanks,” said Wes. “I kind of can’t believe it happened.”

 

“I can!” she responded, touching his knee. “You’re way smarter than you give yourself credit for.”

 

Wes gave out a tiny laugh. 

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes really.”

 

No one had believed in him, actually wanted him to succeed since his mother died. He didn’t really know how to take it. And he didn’t really know if he believed her. But as he looked up at her he could see the genuine excitement in her eyes, mixed with something else. 

 

Pride.

 

“Okay maybe you’re right,” he said begrudgingly; however he couldn’t help the smile on his face as he said it.

 

“Hmm,” she hummed with a knowing grin. “I know I am.”

 

He let out a laugh. 

 

“You’re humble too, you know that?”

 

“Oh yes, it’s one of my most redeeming qualities.”

 

She kissed him gently before standing up.

 

“Where are you going?” he asked.

 

“We have to celebrate, of course!” she exclaimed as she made her way into the kitchen.

 

She came back a minute later carrying two glasses and a bottle of Jack.  Sitting down again beside him, she poured two generous glasses and handed one to Wes. She raised her glass, with Wes hurrying to do the same.

 

“To kicking Middleton’s ass,” said Laurel, raising her eyebrows.

 

“I’ll drink to that,” he replied, clinking her glass and taking a sip of whiskey. 

 

They sat in silence for a beat, before he set his glass down with an unexpected thud. 

 

“You know how else I want to celebrate?” he asked, looking from Laurel’s eyes to her lips.

 

Laurel let out a laugh before leaning closer, placing herself mere inches from his face.

 

“How?” she asked, smirking up at him with feigning innocence.

 

Wes took her glass out of her hand, and brought his hands to her face, his own desire suddenly reflected in her dark eyes.  He’d never get over how absolutely beautiful she was. 

 

“I think you know,” he murmured with a smile before leaning in and kissing her. 

 

“Yeah I think I do,” she said, smiling.

 

A laugh escaped her lips as she kissed him back, eagerly parting her lips for him as her hands travelled up his back and into his hair.  She threw a leg over and situated herself onto his lap before beginning a trail of kisses from his lips, across his jaw, and down his neck.

 

However just as she was about to unbuckle his belt, a knock at the door interrupted them. 

 

In a daze Wes watched as Laurel got up and went to the door, her confusion apparent as she smoothed her skirt.  

 

She opened the door to see Connor, Asher, and Michaela at the door.

 

“What the-- “ she started.

 

“You should really answer your phone,” Michaela said as they all walked past her and into the apartment. 

 

“I told you we were coming over.  Pearson’s exam is tomorrow morning and you made the outline,” said Connor, sitting next to a disheveled Wes.  

 

He looked up to see Laurel looking right at him, her hand coming to her face as she tried not to laugh.  

 

“Congratulations,” she mouthed.

 

\--

 

“No, you’re right. We shouldn’t talk about this here,” retorted Laurel, shaking free from his grip before storming back into the office.

 

He didn’t even have a moment to react before Connor was on his case.

 

“Did you two just have a lover’s quarrel?” he asked, feigned sympathy dripping from his arrogant smile.

 

“Shut up,” Wes snapped.  Connor put up his hands in mock defense before retreating back into the party, taking a swig of champagne as he left.

 

Wes felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but didn’t bother to check who it was.  It didn’t matter.

 

He screwed up, big time. 

 

The moment he brought up her mom he knew he’d gone too far. He shouldn’t have said those things, shouldn’t have twisted her words.  And he definitely shouldn’t have taken his insecurities out on her. He couldn’t let his own stupidity, his own fears get in the way. She mattered too much to him.

 

So now he needed to fix it.  

 

He stood in the doorway and scanned the room but she was gone.  

 

Luckily he knew all of her hiding spots by now.  She wasn’t in the stairwell (too obvious), or the basement (she rarely went there alone, said it gave her the creeps). That left one final spot. As he made his way to the back door of the building, his mind raced with all the things he wanted to say to her. He wanted to apologize, to tell her that he did need saving, that she had been the one who saved him in the best possible way. But mostly he just had the same thought running through his mind: 

 

_ I can’t lose her, too. _

 

He headed out the back door and turned to see Laurel seated on the bench exactly where he’d expected her to be. He took a deep breath, then stepped towards her.

 

“Hey,” he said gingerly. She jumped at the sound of his voice, but didn’t turn around. “Can I sit?”

 

“Fine,” she quipped back, not meeting his gaze.  Wes quickly sat down and turned to face her.  That’s when he noticed the tears.

 

“I’m an idiot,” said Wes quietly. “I’m a stupid, insecure idiot who said some really stupid, insensitive things. I’m sorry.”

 

She turned her head ever so slightly to face him. 

 

“Bringing up my mom was a low blow,” said Laurel, her voice low.

 

He sighed, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

 

“I know.” 

 

“You’re the one I care about, not Frank.”

 

“I know.”

 

“And I’m not here just to save you. You should know that by now.”

 

“I do.” There was note of desperation in his voice as he looks back at her. 

 

She paused before she spoke again.

 

“But I also should’ve told you the truth about Frank. And I definitely shouldn’t have flung Rebecca in your face,” she continued. “So I guess that makes me a bit of an idiot too, huh?”

 

“Maybe so,” he said, gently nudging her with his shoulder. She smiled as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “From now on, no more secrets, ok? We’re on the same team.”

 

Laurel nodded as she looked up to face him. “No more secrets.”

 

He stroked her cheek with his thumb before leaning in to kiss her.  She let out the tiniest sigh as her lips parted for him, enveloping him in an embrace much warmer than the chilly November air that surrounded them.

 

She grabbed his shirt to pull him closer, her lips soft yet fierce. 

 

It was softer, sweeter than any of their previous kisses, at least any that Wes could remember, but it was also one of the best. She completed him, made him whole. He’d be an idiot if he let that go. 

 

Sometime later the door to the building opened, and out tumbled a very drunk and very giggly Michaela. 

 

Immediately Wes and Laurel broke apart, Laurel wiping her swollen lips with her sleeve.

 

“Oh good, I found you!” Michaela exclaimed, oblivious to the events that had transpired seconds before. “Come on, we’re going to DANCE.”

 

\--

 

It was a little after midnight when one of their phones started ringing.

 

Wes woke up first. He rolled over, gently unwrapping himself from Laurel as he grabbed his phone, only to see Connor’s name flash across his screen briefly before going dark.

 

“What the hell?” he muttered, turning on the lamp to get a better look.  

 

The sudden brightness caused Laurel to stir.

 

“What’s happening?” she asked, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light.

 

“Connor’s called me like ten times,” he replied, confusion laced in his voice. 

 

“Why?” 

 

Wes was about to say he had no idea when Laurel’s phone began to vibrate. She grabbed it and showed it to him.

 

Connor.

 

“What’s going on?” she asked in greeting, immediately hitting the speaker button.

 

“Have you heard from Wes? Or Asher?” he asked, his voice filled with panic. Both of them sat up, suddenly alert.

 

“Why? What’s going on?” Laurel repeated, dread suddenly filling her body and replacing the warmth, the safety she’d come to associate with Wes’ apartment.

 

“There was an explosion at Annalise’s,” he responded hurriedly.  “Someone, a man, was inside and was killed.  They won’t tell us who it was. Oliver is here, but we don’t know where the others are. Laurel...” he paused, taking a breath. “They arrested Annalise.”

 

“Oh my God,” said Laurel, running her hand through her hair.  Wes opened his mouth to speak, but before he could she lightly smacked his stomach and shook her head.

 

“I know,” said Connor. “It’s a shit show. She finally cracked.”

 

“Connor, she didn’t do this,” Laurel responded immediately. 

 

“Right,” he said sarcastically, clearly not believing her. “Anyway, Oliver’s on his way to Wes’ to find him, and Michaela’s headed to Asher’s. You need to get over here, now.”

 

Laurel and Wes looked up from the phone and instantly made eye contact, their eyes wide.

 

“No!” Laurel exclaimed, a little too quickly. “I mean, I’m up. I can go check on Wes. It’s no big --”

 

Just then there was an urgent knock on the door.

 

“What was that?” asked Connor.  Laurel and Wes jumped up, Wes throwing on a shirt and going to the door while Laurel rushed to the bathroom.

 

“Nothing,” she replied, taking Connor off speaker. “Where are you? I’m coming.”

 

“Police station,” said Connor, too distracted to focus on the knock.

 

“I’m on my way,” she said, hanging up just as she heard Wes opening his front door.

 

“Thank God,” said Oliver in greeting, bringing his hand to his forehead.

 

“Oliver, what the hell?”

 

“Someone’s dead,” he replied, anguish reflected in his eyes. “There was a fire at Annalise’s and someone was inside.”

 

“Do they know what happened?” Wes asked.

 

“The police arrested Annalise.”

 

“Besides that,” said Wes hurriedly as he grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on.

 

“I don’t know, Bonnie’s trying to find out more.  How’d you find out about Annalise?” Oliver backtracked, clearly confused.

 

“Oh...Laurel texted me,” Wes said, thinking on his feet.  Now was _ not _ the time for them to find out about that little surprise.  Thankfully Oliver just nodded and kept going.

 

“Right. Well, I’ll let the others know you’re alright. You wanna come with me to the station?”

 

“Oh no, Laurel’s already on her way, I’ll just go with her. Let me know if you hear anything else, though.”

 

“Sure, yeah. Just, uh, Bonnie says to not talk to anyone,” added Oliver before turning to leave.

 

“Okay,” Wes nodded, and with that, Oliver was gone.  

 

Wes shut the door and immediately Laurel came out of the bathroom. Her bright blue eyes swam with fear.

 

“Wes, what if Asher…” she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. 

 

“He’s probably still asleep, like we were,” he said quickly, moving towards her and enveloping her in his arms.  

 

Laurel nodded against his chest, but the panic was clearly still there.

 

“What if it had been you?” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

 

“Well good thing we don’t have to find out,” he said gently, kissing her forehead.

 

\--

 

Bonnie’s place had a funny smell. 

 

Laurel had never really noticed it before; it was some chemical smell, like perfume mixed with gasoline. Whatever it was it was making her sick to her stomach. 

 

They were supposed to be looking into the Mahoney's, finding some connection between them and Nate’s murder. However it was extremely hard to focus on anything when your breakfast was threatening to make a reappearance at any moment. 

 

Wes kept looking up at her, worry etched across his face. She offered him a weak smile, but she could tell he didn't believe her. 

 

“Funyun?” asked Asher, setting the bag directly in front of Laurel. 

 

Her stomach lurched at the smell. Suddenly it was all too much; the mix of the apartment and the funyuns and Asher’s cologne. She sprang up out of her chair and made her way to the bathroom, Wes following behind her. 

 

She tried to close the door before he could get in, not wanting him to see her completely lose it, but she was too late. He immediately knelt beside her and began rubbing her back. 

 

After it was over she pulled back, defeated.

 

“This is the third morning in a row I’ve gotten sick,” she murmured.  She leaned her head back and rested it against the wall. “And my period is a week late.”

 

Wes came around and sat beside her, taking her hand.

 

They stayed like that for a moment, both coming to the same conclusion.

 

“What are we going to do?” she asked, refusing to look at Wes. 

 

“What do you  _ want _ to do?” he replied as he used his thumb to make lazy circles on her hand. 

 

Laurel rolled her head to the side to look at him, the tears that had formed in her eyes threatening to spill over. 

 

“I don’t know,” she sighed, squeezing his hand. “I mean how are we supposed to take care of a baby in the middle of all of...this?” She motioned with her other hand towards the rest of the group on the other side of the door. 

 

He looked over at her and saw fear reflected in her eyes, an emotion he’d seen on her face far too often over the past months. 

 

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But if you wanted to, I think we could figure it out.”

 

She lifted her head, keeping her gaze on Wes. 

 

“You think so?” 

 

Wes nodded. 

 

“You’re the strongest person I know. And I’ve seen how much you care for the people you love. You’d be an incredible mom. Plus a baby with even half your genes is bound to be one good-looking kid.”

 

She gave him a watery smile as she ran a hand through her hair. 

 

“We would make a pretty cute baby,” she admitted. 

 

“Yeah we would,” laughed Wes. “But I completely understand if you don’t want to. I’ll be here either way.”

 

Tears finally started to fall down her cheeks. 

 

It was terrifying and overwhelming, the idea of having a baby. She’d never really wanted to have kids, never wanted to make the same mistakes her parents made. Which is why she was so surprised when she found herself imagining herself with a pregnant belly, and then a little girl with dark pigtails riding on Wes’ shoulders she felt not only fear but also a hint of excitement.

 

“You really think we could do this?” she asked again, more of a statement than a question.

 

Once again Wes nodded, looking her straight in the eye.

 

“I really do.”

 

She paused for a second, maintaining his gaze.

 

“Me too.”

 

This time Wes squeezed her hand. 

 

“Hey you okay in-- I KNEW IT!” Michaela exclaimed as she opened the door just in time to see Wes lean down and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. 

 

The two of them immediately jumped apart but the damage was done. Laurel looked from Michaela to Wes and laughed as she shrugged.

 

“Secret’s out.”


End file.
